Yangmingshan National Park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) nature area has gone viral after a park livestream camera observed a couple in the throes of intimate congress, which was broadcast live on YouTube, drawing large late-night crowds and sparking a backlash over noise, bright lights and disruption to wildlife habitat.
The area’s livestream footage appeared to show a couple engaging in sexual activity on a picnic table in the park on Friday last week, with the uncensored footage streamed publicly online. The footage quickly spread across social media, prompting a tide of visitors to travel to the site to “check in” and recreate the scene with the table where the incident took place.
In an apparent attempt to curb the trend of copycats, park staff removed the table on Friday afternoon. It did not stay away for long, as visitors later moved it back to its original spot for photos, prompting comments from social media users, making comments such as “preservation of a non-cultural heritage site,” “Taiwanese people have a remarkable way of creating shared memories” and “a tendency to unite over the most unexpected things.”
Photo: Screen grab from Threads
Amusing comment turned into criticism as the area began to resemble an outdoor festival venue, according to livestream footage and social media posts, with visitors gathering late into the night to dance, shine lights, perform choreographed glow-stick routines associated with anime and “otaku” culture, and pose for photos at the scene.
Visitors were seen holding banners and wearing costumes, including maid outfits and dinosaur suits, while others brought gaming equipment and toys such as Beyblades.
Social media users said the crowds were turning a national park into a spectacle and disturbing wildlife.
Photo: A screengrab from YouTube
One user wrote: “This is getting out of hand and is disturbing the animals,” while others said the behavior reflected a lack of respect for protected natural areas.
One person who identified themselves online as one of the dancers later apologized in a social media post, saying music had already been playing at the site, but acknowledging they had not considered whether the activity violated park rules or could affect wildlife.
Taipei’s Shilin Police Precinct had identified a suspect and summoned him for questioning, it said on Friday, adding that the man initially agreed to appear for questioning but failed to do so and has stopped responding to police attempts to contact him, it said.
Authorities said the couple is suspected of violating public indecency and related offenses under the Criminal Code. If the man fails to respond to two lawful summonses without a valid reason, police said they would seek a warrant for his arrest if he continues to ignore the summons.
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